DRILL IN SAND CONTROL LINER

COLONNE PERDUE A CONTROLE POUR FORAGE DANS DU SABLE

English Abstract

A liner rotates a bit to make more hole. The liner has
openings with inserts in them to lend torque resistance to the liner. The
inserts
have a passage with a send control media in the passage and a seal so
that the liner can hold pressure for run in to get proper circulation through
the bit. When sufficient hole is made, the liner is hung off an existing
cemented
tubular and the seal for the passages with the sand control media is
removed by a variety of techniques so that the formation can be produced
in a single trip.

French Abstract

L'invention porte sur une colonne perdue qui fait tourner un trépan pour creuser un trou. La colonne perdue comporte des ouvertures avec des inserts placés à l'intérieur de celles-ci pour fournir une résistance au couple à la colonne perdue. Les inserts présentent un passage avec des agents de contrôle du sable dans le passage et un joint de telle sorte que la colonne perdue peut maintenir une pression pour entraîner la circulation désirée à travers le trépan. Lorsque le trou est suffisant, la colonne perdue est retirée d'un matériel tubulaire cémenté existant et le joint associé aux passages avec les agents de contrôle du sable est retiré par une diversité de techniques de telle sorte que la formation peut être produite en un seul passage.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A method for producing from a wellbore, comprising:
connecting at least a portion of a tubular string to a bit and rotating them
in
tandem in the wellbore when drilling the wellbore;
circulating pressurized fluid through said string to said bit to clear
cuttings
produced during drilling to the surface of the wellbore;
providing at least one selectively open port in said string, said port further
comprising a sand control media;
drilling the wellbore with said port closed; and
opening said port without string rotation after said drilling to produce well
fluids through said sand control media.
2. The method of claim 1, comprising:
closing said port with a material that is removable.
3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising:
using sintered metal beads for said sand control media.
4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
retrieving said bit through said string after said drilling.
5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
expanding said tubular string in the same trip as said drilling.
6. The method of claim 5, comprising:
retrieving said drill bit through said expanded string.
7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:
securing said tubular string to an existing well tubular after said drilling.
8. The method of claim 4, comprising:
using a collapsible bit to facilitate its removal through said tubular string.
9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
installing an insert with a passage therethrough in said tubular string; and
placing said sand control media in said passage.
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10. The method of claim 9, comprising:
positioning said insert so that it does not protrude beyond an inner wall of
said tubular string; and
expanding said tubular string after said drilling.
11. The method of claim 9 or 10, comprising:
placing a removable material in said passage;
leaving said material in position during said drilling; and
removing said material after said drilling.
12. The method of claim 11, comprising:
removing said material by exposure to well conditions or a stimulus applied
downhole.
13. The method of claim 7, comprising:
running in said tubular string with a run in string; and
producing well fluids through said run in string.
14. The method of claim 7, comprising:
running in said tubular string with a run in string;
removing said run in string and running in a production string with a packer;
and
producing through said production string.
15. The method of claim 5, comprising:
running in said tubular string with a run in string;
mounting a swage on said run in string; and
expanding said tubular string with said swage.
16. The method of claim 15, comprising:
capturing said bit with said run in string after said expanding; and
retrieving said bit through said tubular string.
17. The method of claim 10, comprising:
threading said insert; and
securing said insert to said tubular string by threads.
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18 . The method of claim 3, comprising:
placing a removable material in said port;
leaving said material in position during said drilling; and
removing said material after said drilling by exposure to well conditions or a
stimulus applied downhole.
7

Description

CA 02696917 2010-02-18
WO 2009/032517
PCT/US2008/073540
APPLICATION FOR PATENT
Title: Drill In Sand Control Liner
Inventor: Bennett M. Richard, Michael H. Johnson and Steve Rosenblatt
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The field of the invention is liners that are rotated to drill
without a drill
string and more particularly where the liners have openings with sand control
devices and
the openings are unsealed after drilling is complete.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Saving trips into the well saves the well operator money. One such
time
saving technique that has been developed is running a liner with screens on a
drill string
so that as the bit advances so does the liner. When the desired location is
reached, the
drill string up to the bit is released from the bit that is rotatably mounted
to the liner. The
liner doesn't rotate as the bit turns. After the drill string is disconnected
from the bit and
removed, a swage can be run in to expand the screen or an isolation packer and
a
crossover can be run in and a gavel pack operation can be performed. This
technique is
illustrated in USP 7,108,083. The bit can be driven by a drill string or a
dovvnhole motor
supported by coiled tubing.
[0003] Drill strings have been used with screens in the liner when
running in liner
while drilling the hole because of the need to deliver pressurized drilling
mud to the bit
nozzles to displace the drill cuttings and cool the bit. Since the screen is
an open
structure, it has not been practical to deliver liner while making hole
without using a drill
string inside the liner so that pressurized mud can be directly delivered to
the bit while
the drill string supports the liner in a manner where the liner doesn't see
fluid pressure in
advance of the bit.
[0004] In trying to eliminate the drill string and rotate a bit with a
liner,
particularly a liner that has screens or an array of slots, the problem that
is confronted is -
the limited ability of such a structure to tolerate the applied torque from
drilling and how

CA 02696917 2012-08-27
to make the structure a conductor of pressurized fluid so that the bit nozzles
could be supplied
with cooling fluid and a means to get drill cuttings out of the way. Another
consideration is to
avoid perforation using explosives as it can cause damage to sensitive
formations and the
perforating guns can become stuck after detonation in low bottom hole pressure
wells. The
present invention solves these problems by providing a robust liner structure
that can
withstand the applied torque and drive the bit while still having the
capability to convey
pressure to the bit nozzles and when drilling is concluded to open passages
with sand control
features so that production can begin with the liner suspended and sealed to
an existing and
cemented well tubular. These and other features of the present invention will
be more readily
apparent from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment and the
associated
drawing while recognizing that the claims determine the full scope of the
invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A liner rotates a bit to make more hole. The liner has openings
with inserts
in them to lend torque resistance to the liner. The inserts have a passage
with a sand control
media to the passage and a seal so that the liner can hold pressure for run in
to get proper
circulation through the bit. When a sufficient hole is made, the liner is hung
off an existing
cemented tubular and the seal for passages within the sand control media is
removed by a
variety of techniques so that the formation can be produced in a single trip.
[0005a] Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a method for
producing from a
wellbore, comprising:
connecting at least a portion of a tubular string to a bit and rotating them
in
tandem in the wellbore when drilling the wellbore;
circulating pressurized fluid through said string to said bit to clear
cuttings
produced during drilling to the surface of the wellbore;
providing at least one selectively open port in said string, said port further
comprising a sand control media;
drilling the wellbore with said port closed; and
opening said port without string rotation after said drilling to produce well
fluids through said sand control media.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
100061 FIG. 1 is a section view of the tubular making hole with the bit
at the bottom
and a detailed view of an insert in one of the openings.
2

CA 02696917 2012-08-27
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a
casing 10 that has been cemented in wellbore 12. Wellbore
12 is drilled with bit 14 secured to liner string 16 in a manner where they
rotate in
tandem. Near the top 17 of the string 16 is a liner hanger 18 of a type well
known in the
art. When the wellbore 12 is drilled, the hanger 18 with its slips and seal
can be actuated
so that the string 16 is supported by the casing 10. A run in string 20
delivers the liner
string 16 through the casing 10 to begin drilling the hole 12 to drive the bit
14 by virtue of a
releasably and rotationally locked latch connection 37 of a type well known in
the art.
[0008] String 16 has
an array of holes 22 with internal threads 24 to allow securing
insert 26 at its threads in holes 22. Inserts 26 can be welded into position
but a threaded
connection is preferred as it is cheaper to assembly and allows fast removal
for
replacement of any inserts 26 when needed. Each insert 26 has a passage 28
therethrough.
Inside passage 28 is a sand control medium 30 that is preferably sintered
metal beads
compatible with the anticipated well fluids and conditions. Illustratively
shown for a
single opening but present in all openings 22 is a sealing material 32 so that
pressurized
drilling mud delivered through run in string 20 is retained in the liner 16
and
communicated to a bit 14 to allow it to drill. Bit 14 may be releasably
mounted to the lower
end 34 of the liner 16 and run in string 20 can have a gripping mechanism,
shown
schematically as 36 at its lower end. The gripping mechanism 36 can grab the
bit 14
which can be of a collapsible design so that it can be retrieved back through
the liner 16
when drilling is done. Alternatively, the run in string 20 can also include a
swage, shown
schematically as 38 so that at the conclusion of drilling, the liner 16 can be
expanded in
the same trip. If the liner is expanded, the bit 14 need not have a collapse
feature to be
removed through it after expansion.
[0009] In drilling the
wellbore 12, the run in string 20 and the liner 16 are rotated
to turn the bit 14 to make the hole 12. The sealing material 32 initially
plugs the passages
28 so that pressurized drilling mud can be delivered to the bit 14 to carry
away cuttings.
Drilling continues until the proper depth is reached or until the pressures
downhole get so
high as to risk fluid loss into the formation and an inability to clear
cuttings away from
the bit. At that point the sealing material 32 is removed. Depending on what
material is
selected for sealing, it can be removed in a variety of ways. It can be
dissolved
chemically attacked or simply designed to go away after prolonged exposure to
well
fluids or conditions. It can also be removed with a stimulus such as heat
applied in the
well. The removal, either partial or total of the sealing material 32 allows
production to
come through the sand control medium 30 and into the liner 16. The well fluids
can go to
the surface through a production string and packer that replace the run in
string 20 or
3

CA 02696917 2010-02-18
WO 2009/032517
PCT/US2008/073540
alternatively, production can be taken through the run in string 20 itself
saving another
two trips for removing the run in string 20 and replacing it with a production
string and
packer (not shown). If expansion of the liner string 16 is contemplated, it
can be done
before the sealing material 32 is removed or after but preferably before
production to the
surface is allowed to start. If the bit 14 is to be retrieved then it should
be done before
production begins. The liner string 16 can be set on bottom before production
begins or it
can have its lower end 34 closed off to flow by other means.
[0010] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a liner string 16 is
presented
that has the strength in torsion to operate a bit 14 and has the capability of
selectively
retaining pressure during drilling so that fluid can be forced through the bit
nozzles while
drilling. Perforating the liner for production access is not required in this
situation. The
sealing devices 32 are made to go away when drilling is concluded to provide
access to
production in passages 28. Expansion of the liner 16 is possible in a single
tip as is the
ultimate capture and retrieval of the bit 14 through the liner 16 regardless
of whether the
liner is expanded or not. The openings 22 can be threaded in the wall or
welded. The
interior wall 40 should preferably be smooth with no internal projections if
expansion is
contemplated. Various known swages and expansion techniques can be used. The
number
and layout of openings 22 as well as their size can vary depending on the
anticipated
production rates.
[0011] The above description is illustrative of the preferred embodiment
and
many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing
from the
invention whose scope is to be determined from the literal and equivalent
scope of the
claims below.
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Representative Drawing